Washington (AP) – A gospel singer who says God delivered him from being gay was removed from a concert lineup at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the request of Washington’s mayor.
Singer Donnie McClurkin was scheduled to perform at the concert Saturday evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Several gay rights activists objected to his participation ahead of the event, according to the Washington Post.
Doxie McCoy, a spokeswoman for Mayor Vincent Gray, says the Grammy-winning singer decided not perform because the purpose of the event was to bring people together.
But in a video statement, McClurkin says he was “asked not to attend” and was uninvited from the concert. McClurkin says there should be freedom of speech “as long as it’s done in love.”
McClurkin, who said God has delivered him from “the curse” of homosexuality, was scheduled to perform during the “Reflections on Peace: From Gandhi to King.”
However, after fielding complaints from the LGBT community, Mayor Vincent C. Gray said McClurkin would not perform. “This event is to promote peace and harmony,” the mayor said in a statement. “That is what King is all about.”
In 2002, McClurkin wrote on a Christian website that he struggled with homosexuality after he was molested by male relatives when he was 8 and 13.
“I have been through this and have experienced God’s power to change my lifestyle,” he wrote. “I am delivered and I know God can deliver others too.”
The concert was among a series of events scheduled to take place in Washington through August 28 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, in which King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
